PC Journal: Friars growing accustomed to missing pieces

PROVIDENCE — It remains to be seen if Ed Cooley will have a fully healthy and eligible roster the rest of this season.

Kevin McNamara Journal Sports Writer kevinmcnamara33

PROVIDENCE — It remains to be seen if Ed Cooley will have a fully healthy and eligible roster the rest of this season.

That sobering reality was driven home with one look at the Friars bench in Friday’s 78-69 win over Fairfield. In one seat sat a glum-faced Kris Dunn in a sweat suit, unable to play with a nagging shoulder injury. Two other chairs remain empty with no end in sight to the suspension of freshmen Brandon Austin and Rodney Bullock.

The absence of Dunn is a huge one for the Friars. He is the program’s only seasoned point guard and the team’s attack is immeasurable harmed when leading scorer Bryce Cotton has to slide over and handle the ball handling duties for 40 minutes a game. Cooley said Dunn aggravated his right shoulder early in a loss to Maryland in the finals of the Paradise Jam. He has not practiced since the team returned from St. Thomas.

“Not having Kris Dunn definitely hurt our depth and our pace of play,” Cooley said. “His shoulder is sore. It’s really sore and right now he’s day-to-day and that’s a major concern of ours.”

This is a problem the Friars are used to. Dunn did not play in the season’s first three games. He made his season debut and looked good in a home win over Vermont and then played an invaluable role (10 points, 5 assists, 3 steals) in a comeback victory over Vanderbilt in the first round of the Paradise Jam.

Dunn was less productive (6 assists, no points) in a second round win over La Salle and made little impact in 23 minutes against Maryland. Dunn hurt his shoulder in an exhibition game against Rhode Island College on Nov. 2 and while surgery has been ruled out for now, the shoulder requires extensive rehabilitation on a regular basis. It is hoped he responds in time to play Sunday against Kentucky in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“Not having him available really shortens your rotation, but you know what? You have to play the guys who are on your bus. There’s no complaining. You have to do what you can do and try to create a win for yourself,” Cooley said.

Without Dunn, four Friars played 33 or more minutes. Cotton (24 points, 18 on free throws in 38 minutes) and Josh Fortune (10 points, 35 minutes) are the only healthy and available guards on the roster, yet the Friars own a 7-1 record.

“I’m proud of our guys because similar to last year we’ve had to adjust game to game,” Cooley said. “We’ve struggled in some games but what’s been constant is our effort. We’re going to make mistakes but every game we’ve played we’ve had a chance to win. That’s what I’m proud of.”

Suspensions ‘status quo’

There remains a search party out for freshmen Austin and Bullock. The two were suspended after an undisclosed on-campus incident before the season opener in early November and while allowed to practice, they have not sat on the team’s bench through eight games.

Asked where the suspension stands, Cooley would only answer “status quo.” It is now clear that they will be out the rest of this semester, which ends next week after the Kentucky game and a trip to Kingston to play URI next Thursday.

Both players traveled to St. Thomas (a day later than the rest of the team) last week. That raised speculation that they would be cleared to play but Cooley said taking them out of school for three days to be with their coaches and teammates is part of their growth.

“They are young men who have made a mistake and you have to support them. Their best support group was in the Virgin Islands,” said Cooley. “I want them to know that they are supported 100 percent. They came here to play basketball and be educated and it’s a great education to go to St. Thomas and an incredible basketball situation. They didn’t go down there to play. They went down there to support their teammates.”

No big deal

Cooley doesn’t sound very impressed by the challenge of playing the vaunted Kentucky Wildcats Sunday at the Barclays Center. He says his Providence team will face similar tests all winter.

“We play high-profile programs every day in the Big East,” Cooley said. “That keeps coming back. Kentucky. It’s another game. The Big East is the best basketball conference in the country. We’re going to play teams like that every single day.”

Cooley emphasized that he wasn’t criticizing the third-ranked Wildcats in any way, but he’s far from intimidated by John Calipari’s crew.

“Everybody is asking me about Kentucky. It’s a game. Congratulations, they’re good. They have all these great players. You know what? We have some great players, too. I do not want anybody to look at my team as if we are some stepchild hoping to get lucky,” Cooley said. “We’re going to go down there and were going to be confident, passionate and we’re going to play with a lot of pride. I don’t give a damn about Kentucky.”